The continuing adventures of a cruising sailor/family lawyer, his wife (also a lawyer), and their young children.

Dogs Awaiting My Return

07/05/2008, Oriental Harbor

I left the dogs on deck when I went for a short solo trip into town. When I returned, they were outside the boundary I had set eagerly waiting for me. I will need to put the seat in which blocks the rear deck as they could easily fall off into the water if a rogue wave hit unexpectedly. The picture is blurry but I thought it was worth showing anyway.

I dingied into town with the dogs and we came across a street fair. The band played an assortment of old and new tunes. I recognized several people from around town in the band. I guess in a small community like this, you run across the same folks often.

Keith, hot outside, with the breeze, the coolest place is inside the boat07/04/2008, Tropical Dreamer

It became obvious over the last few days that there wasn't enough room in the boat for the dogs. Part of the problem was the piles of things all over the place. Partly it's that a 36 foot boat isn't all that big inside. I'm sure the 42 would be much more spacious, but I can hardly manage this much boat, not to mention the price. Fortunately many of the Catalina 36s were designed with a pit sofa. The dining table can seat 10 people, but otherwise it takes up a lot of space that was perfect for a dog spot. The three of us can lay down comfortably to watch a movie, read, whatever. Anne is spread out and sound asleep as I write this. Jake has moved to the floor by my feet. They also enjoy hanging out in the cockpit and they've both discovered how to climb up to the bow. With the breeze blowing through, they seem quite comfortable, as am I. The dogs kept me company while I set up the zodiac earlier today and caught the attention of passers-by as we hung out on the bow.

We spent another night on the boat, this time in the harbor. I slept well, but it does get a bit sticky. Woke up early and continued stowing things away in the boat while the sun came up. It has taken me like two days, but I'm finally done. The dogs were eager to get onto the dingy and get to shore. Unfortunately, it was filled with water. It took me about 1/2 hour of hand pumping to clear it. Clearly this dingy has some sort of leak that I cannot identify. It has leaked since I got Tropical Dreamer (I remember it was odd the boat was pulled up on the dock when not in use) but now it is a lot worse. No way am I bailing the whole boat out every morning. So while I was packing my "extra" things into the back cabin I pulled out the zodiac. I assembled it on the front deck (always a frustrating challenge) and transferred the 3.3 hp 2 stroke mercery engine to the inflatable (my other engine is 4 stroke but only 2hp - I left it in the motorhome for the time being). The zodiac rocks. Larger, much more stable, and it goes great with the mercery, especially with the dogs. I don't know yet whether it will work on the davits, but a good dingy is so important (especially for the dogs) I will tow it if I have to (except on offshore voyages, the dingy goes on the foredeck). I can't take the other dingy with me in spite of the valuable tube. Fortunately, there is a marine consignment store in Oriental. I'll offer the dingy with a leak that needs to be repaired and the attached tube. Whatever I get for it is more than I will get if I donate it to the sailing school, which is what I will do otherwise. I feel a lot better with the zodiac. It was a great dingy in the sea of cortez and it's practically brand new, as is that mercery engine. Also, the zodiac can serve as a fairly reliable lifeboat if needed. It takes about an hour to set up so it probably wouldn't be of much use in an emergency stored in the rear cabin. I got the above picture after the dogs did their thing in the grass and before our walk to the Rebounder to vaccume and clean it and to give the dogs another flea and tick bath. It's been a busy time for someone who is supposed to be cruising. Most of the hard work is done now. I expect to depart Oriental tomorrow afternoon. Tonight I get to watch the fireworks from Tropical Dreamer.